Confused by CDC’s changing guidance on school reopening? Here are recommendations from experts not pressured by the White House
The new guidelines for school administrators appears to drop specific reference to keeping students six feet apart, a social distancing measure that had been in previous CDC guidelines, and suggests that schools consider closing only if there is “substantial, uncontrolled transmission” of the virus. “Consider” is the key word there; the new guidance doesn’t say schools should definitely close under those circumstances.
This week, Trump himself stepped back a little bit from his call that all schools should fully open, saying that there should probably be flexibility in places that are “hot spots,” which is what the CDC’s director, Robert Redfield, also said Friday. But neither acknowledged the extent of the spread of the virus in many states.
This Washington Post story reported that Redfield did concede that exceptions should be made for places with significant covid-19 infection rates but he underplayed the number of places that would be included. However, the infection rate that Redfield offered as the definition of a “hot spot” existed in 33 states over the past week.
The Post story says: “The mixed messaging was another indication of how public health officials at the CDC have been squeezed between Trump’s demand for a normal school year and an out-of-control virus.”
If you are confused by the CDC’s changing guidance, here are some recommendations from two infectious-disease specialists who have not been pressured by the White House.
The two are Wendy Armstrong, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University’s School of Medicine, and Tina Tan, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Both are board members of the CONTINUE READING: Confused by changing CDC guidance on school reopening? Here’s help. - The Washington Post